"Itachi?"
Shikai raised his eyes, already a sigh on his lips.
"She doesn't have any other words in her vocabulary. I take back what I said; she's as annoying as Sakura. Give us some breathing space, damn it!"
Izumi Uchiha, carrying a carefully prepared bento, approached the group. Her bright eyes searched for Itachi, who was still busy throwing his shurikens.
"Tch... she's here," Shikai mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. In a barely audible tone, he added to himself, "Back to my *simp tsundere* personality."
Izumi finally reached their level, greeting Shisui and Shikai with a polite smile. "Hello, Shisui, Shikai. I brought a bento for Itachi. He's training so much... I wanted to make sure he eats something."
Shikai rolled his eyes but, staying in character, offered a piece of grilled meat to Izumi with a falsely embarrassed expression. "You only worry about him; you should take care of yourself too. Here. Don't stand there waiting like a statue. Eat something."
Izumi, a little surprised, accepted the piece with a slight blush. "Mer... thank you, Shikai."
Shisui, amused, leaned slightly towards Shikai, a mischievous smile on his lips. "Well, what do I see? The tough guy has a caring side."
Shikai didn't respond, keeping his face expressionless. But internally, he felt a slight boil, not of anger but embarrassment. "All this is necessary," he thought. "If I ever go crazy, everyone will remember my crush on Izumi. The perfect cover."
The scene became more relaxed as the group shared the meal. Even Itachi, though silent, eventually joined the others to eat, half-listening to Shisui's jokes and teases.
Shikai, despite his tsundere role, found himself enjoying the moment. He observed the group around him—Uchiha, prodigies, rivals, yet at that precise moment, they seemed to be simply teenagers sharing a simple moment by the fire, after all, such things would be rare in the future when he put his plans into action.
*Three months later*
Time had flown by. Four months had passed since Dimitri's arrival in the body of Shikai Nara-Senju of Konoha. Between his accelerated learning with Shikaku Nara, his regular battles with Itachi and Shisui Uchiha, his awkward interactions with Izumi Uchiha, and some medical ninjutsu practices with Tsunade, his days were well-filled.
Shikaku was impressed by the speed with which Shikai learned the basics of the Nara clan techniques. The shadow manipulations, known to be complex and requiring unwavering concentration, came naturally to him. These techniques, based on versatility and support, seemed for some reason like offensive techniques when Shikai used them, a development that Shikaku struggled to understand.
"Not bad, kid," commented Shikaku one day as Shikai successfully immobilized a target using an extended *Kagemane no Jutsu*. "If you keep this up, you'll be an asset not only to our clan but to all of Konoha."
Shikai replied with his usual sarcasm: "Oh, great. Becoming a living weapon. That was exactly my career plan."
Shikaku laughed softly, accustomed to his young protégé's sharp attitude.
When he wasn't training with Shikaku, Shikai spent the rest of his free time facing off against Itachi and Shisui. Their battles, though always one-sided, had become more balanced.
Itachi, ever calm and cynical, found new ways to challenge Shikai, using his Sharingan with one tomoe to anticipate his movements.
"Still so weak," Itachi said, dodging a cleverly disguised shuriken throw.
"And you should try smiling once in your life," Shikai retorted, chuckling even when he was sent to the ground.
Over the weeks, Shikai tried to replicate the Sasuke-Naruto dynamic with Itachi. And he had become so close in a way that Shikai was used to coming to fight Itachi within the clan's premises. The reason everyone knew attracted the attention of the little Izumi, interested only in the prodigal son of Mikoto.
With Shisui, the atmosphere was different. The smiling Uchiha prodigy preferred to use his speed and *Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu* to test Shikai.
When Izumi was present, Shikai played his *simp tsundere* role perfectly, alternating between sarcastic remarks and awkwardly kind gestures.
Tsunade, though busy with her own responsibilities, made sporadic appearances to check on Shikai's progress. During one of her visits
***
Meanwhile, in the office of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, two masked ANBU stood before him, holding their reports on Shikai.
"Hokage-sama," began one of the ANBU, "the child spends a lot of time with members of the Uchiha clan, especially Shisui and Itachi. There's a rumor that he's even decided to confront Itachi for another Uchiha he's supposedly smitten with."
Minato, sitting at his desk, nodded thoughtfully. "And so?"
The Anbu hesitated before answering: "It's not necessarily a problem, but given the latent tensions with the Uchiha clan, it could become a source of conflict. Also, Lady Tsunade might not appreciate it if anything happened to Shikai. Especially since the Senju and Uchiha have never been on good terms."
Minato crossed his fingers under his chin. He knew Tsunade well and her protective nature towards her loved ones. However, he refused to limit Shikai or impose unnecessary restrictions on him.
But it was still risky; the Uchiha were not soft-hearted, and they had noticed Shikai's talent. Locking him in a genjutsu to use him later was not a minor matter.
"Hokage-sama," intervened the second Anbu, "we could assign a different mentor to Shikai, someone outside the Uchiha. This would minimize the risks. And it would keep him occupied when he's not with Shikaku."
Minato smiled slightly. "No. I don't think that's the best solution. Shikai seems to be progressing quickly and gets along well with Shisui and Itachi. Interfering could demotivate him."
"What were his affinities again?"
"Lightning and Water release."
"Hmm, I'll speak with Kakashi about this."
The ANBU exchanged a perplexed look.
"You sent him on a mission a few weeks ago, Yondaime."